Notice and Explanatory

Summary

The novel begins with a Notice from someone
named G. G., who is identified as the Chief of Ordnance. The Notice
demands that no one try to find a motive, moral, or plot in the
novel, on pain of various and sundry punishments. The Notice is
followed by an Explanatory note from the Author, which states that
the attention to dialects in the book has been painstaking and is
extremely true-to-life in mimicking the peculiar verbal tendencies
of individuals along the Mississippi. It assures the reader that
if he or she feels that the characters in the book are “trying to
talk alike but failing,” then the reader is mistaken.

Analysis

The Notice and Explanatory set the tone for The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through their mixing of
humor and seriousness. In its declaration that anyone looking for
motive, plot, or moral will be prosecuted, banished, or shot, the
Notice establishes a sense of blustery comedy that pervades the
rest of the novel. The Explanatory takes on a slightly different
tone, still full of a general good-naturedness but also brimming
with authority. In the final paragraph, Twain essentially dares
the reader to believe that he might know or understand more about
the dialects of the South, and, by extension, the South itself.
Twain’s good nature stems in part from his sense of assurance that,
should anyone dare to challenge him, Twain would certainly prove
victorious.

Beyond tone, the Notice and Explanatory set the stage
for the themes that the novel explores later. Twain’s coy statement
about the lack of seriousness in Huckleberry Finn actually
alerts us that such seriousness does in fact exist in the text.
At the same time, Twain’s refusal to make any straightforward claims
for the seriousness of his work adds a note of irony and charm. The
Explanatory note from the Author concerns the use of dialect, which
Twain says has been reconstructed “painstakingly.” Again, if Huckleberry
Finn is not meant to be a “serious” novel, the claim seems
strange. But it is a serious novel, and Twain’s note on dialogue
speaks for the authority and experience of the author and establishes
the novel’s antiromantic, realistic stance. In short, the Notice
and Explanatory, which at first glance appear to be disposable jokes,
link the novel’s sense of fun and lightheartedness with its deeper
moral concerns. This coupling continues throughout Huckleberry
Finn and remains one of its greatest triumphs.